Working together and how you can get involved
The council declared a climate emergency in 2019.
As part of that declaration, it has committed to supporting, inspiring, encouraging and working with others to help achieve the target of net-zero carbon for the whole of Richmondshire.
There are a range of projects which the Council has taken on to help council emissions reach net-zero by 2030 and residents in the Richmondshire area to move to net-zero carbon by 2034. This is the target set out in the Climate Change Action Plan.
Communitree
The Communitree project was designed to support tree planting in local communities across Richmondshire. The Council first ran a Communitree project over 2021.
A second project will run during 2022 to help more communities get involved. The Council has allocated another £3,500 of funding for the scheme. Please see the following table for this project’s timeline.
The TCV planting and aftercare guide was used for guidance to help the town and parish councils plant their trees.
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| August 2022 | The Council reaches out to communities. |
| September to October 2022 |
All proposals discussed and finalised, e.g. how many trees, what type and where they are needed. Richmondshire District Council will submit a tree order. The Council will advise participants on any other matters. Tree delivery date to be advised to participants. |
| November to December 2022 |
Participants will be advised of when and from where the trees can be collected. Trees are planted. |
Register your interest
Parish councils interested in the Communitree project who wish to plant more trees in their area should complete the following form by 15 October 2022.
Complete the Communitree expression of interest form
Electric vehicle charging points
To help support people making the move to low carbon electric vehicles, the Council will be installing 20 electric vehicle charging points at several of its car parks across the district. The project has obtained the charging point supplier and is working with Northern Power Grid to upgrade the electricity supply to ready the sites for the installation of the charging points.
Some delays to the project which are beyond the Council's control are expected. This is due to wider material and labour shortages across the sector.
Further updates on where and when the charging points will be installed will be provided on this page.
Information on all the existing electric vehicle charging points across the district can be found on Zap-Map.
Energy efficiency and low carbon heating home improvements
Domestic heating is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions across Richmondshire. The Council has partnered with other local authorities in North Yorkshire to deliver over £2 million of energy efficiency and low carbon heating installations. This is to help low income households to improve the energy efficiency of the least energy efficient homes. These installations will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from them.
The scheme, which is being delivered by energy contractor E.on, is running until the end of September 2022. Unfortunately, no new applications are being accepted.
The project is part of the Council's commitment to support and encourage the community to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as set out in its climate emergency declaration.
Electric Vehicle Taxi Grant
There are a limited number of £1,000 grants available to support taxi drivers in switching to a more sustainable way of travelling.
These grants are available to taxi drivers switching to a solely electric vehicle. If you are planning on switching to an electric vehicle, please contact us at climate.change@richmondshire.gov.uk to apply for the grant. This grant will be available on a first come first served basis.
This scheme is running until 31 October 2022, so please contact us before this date. The scheme will be reviewed after this date.
Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership
If you are interested in helping to create a greener, carbon neutral Richmondshire or have an idea for a project or activity that will help to achieve this, then why not get involved with the Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership?
The partnership has been set up to develop and help deliver projects and activities to reduce carbon emissions across the district, and to improve local environments. It is always looking for new volunteers from across Richmondshire including residents, business owners, and members of community groups, organisations and schools.
The Council is supporting the Partnership. Email admin@richmondshireclimateaction.org for more details of what the partnership is doing and how you can get involved.